solutions for small businesses and major corporations. what can we do for you? >> and now, "bbc world news america." >> this is bbc world news america. reporting from washington, i'm katty kay. president obama saying the health-care rollout has been fixed and americans should give it another chance. >> tell your friends and your family not to let the initial problems with the website discourage you. >> ukrainians braves another night in the cold. they have failed to unseat the government, but they say they won't hit -- quick. -- they won't quit. breakingung and

stereotypes. we introduce you to the woman who built computer code. we are broadcast on public television in america and elsewhere around the globe. forms will make life better for millions of americans, that was the message from president obama today as he defended the health- care program that has been beset by technical glitches. he said a lot of the website problems are now fixed, but critics are not convinced. >> on the streets of baltimore, the people who -- the people obamacare is designed to help. they have nothing to fall back on if they become ill. a getting them signed up has been undermined by a website plagued by failure and incompetence.

president vowed the law would not change. >> you've got good ideas? bring them to me. let's go. but we are not repealing it as long as i'm president. [applause] we will make it good for all americans. such thing as an obamacare health plan. here in washington, d.c. and in some states, they are expanding free care for those of low income. this website is helping people choose between several private plans. it makes picking a mortgage or pension look simple. it has become a symbol for the law that will almost certainly define obama hoss presidency. -- obama's presidency. many have been questioning his

competency, and indeed, his presidency. folk fun at the failure, and also took advantage of a chance to criticize the coalition. they have seen the private sector fail and they believe the government can solve their problems. and now they have seen the government fail. i think they will have a much more jaundiced view of what government can do for them in the future. -- >> the affordable care act in a sense is going to change my life. ofwill eliminate a lot stress because it covers things that my previous insurance did not cover. >> a nearby small business costdes insurance at a that makes them shudder.

>> our insurance benefits are going up 49%. >> these changes are huge, for the american economy and the american people. >> for more on the battle over youamerican health care, do think that president obama made a persuasive case to the american public that health reform has happened? >> i think he was trying to focus on why it is important and what it means for a lot of people. he has done this before, of course, by saying that nobody should have to choose between putting food on the table and taking their kids to the doctor. it is a powerful argument. his probably most powerful argument was saying to the republicans, ok, you haven't liked it, but you don't have anything to put in its place. it will who have it, particularly those on medicaid, the health care for the poor, won't want it taken away from them. it still remains to see if

people find the process so painful that they put it off. and if they don't like what they get, is it an improvement? >> my impression is that they are lead -- they are breeding something of a sigh of relief at the white house. they are alsout treating the patients so much so that they want them out of bed, but they don't want them running around outside. they have delayed the advertising. they are taking it very steadily. 40% of this was that has not been built yet. itre are many things that has to do that it is not being expected to do yet. there will be pressure later this month and more in january, and then the pressure in the spring. and even when it is up and running, there are questions about whether americans in the will know what they are being made to do.

-- will like what they are being made to do. >> the president today specifically addressed doubts and said, this is now the law of the land and i will carry on the fight for it to be the law of the land. do you think there will be a chip away attempt to at this legislation e >> arnold think those efforts will work. the republicans will make it clear that they don't like it, and if they were in a position to repeal it, they would get rid of it. things -- interesting we all talk about the divide in american politics, and it's true. this deepens the divide. a lot of the people who are getting this are poor or worse off. and they like it. a lot of those who are reluctant , who don't like being pushed or having government in their lives and will carry on disliking that. it just sharpens the divide in american society in many ways.

>> ukrainian protesters are still out on the streets tonight. opposition sales -- the opposition has failed to force the government out. demonstrators say they are not going away until the president signed an agreement that would give ukraine closer ties with europe. >> cold am a but defiant, thousands of protesters still occupy the square tonight, trying in the face of defeat to keep their european dream alive. they started by marching on parliament, demanding the president and prime minister should stand down. as the crowd calls for a new revolution, riot police rushed to the side of the building. >> the building is ringed by

riot police. there are thousands of people singing and calling on the government to resign. >> inside parliament, opposition deputies could barely read -- barely contain their fury as they called a vote of no government -- no confidence in the government. >> a blockade of buildings and the cabinet office is not the road to integration. it is the route to dictatorship and violence. >> the prime minister used his majority to defeat the no- confidence motion. but one of the opposition leaders, the wbc heavyweight thepion boxer, told me protest will not stop until the government falls.

>> everybody understands [indiscernible] >> called the orange revolution of 2004, which made the shank oh famous -- julian you shank oh famous. he is now in prison. they may not give up to these protesters so easily. >> demonstrators say they are not going away in the u.k. and -- rude crane -- in the ukraine. report investigating the death of yasser arafat from 2004 has dismissed the cleary he was forcing. the judges say the palestinian leader died of natural causes. lead team said last month that it was possible he was poisoned with radioactive polonium. the american vice president joe biden says america is deeply

activity about china's in a disputed group of islands controlled by japan. the matterwill raise with china's president when he visits beijing later this week. a federal judge has approved the largest public bankruptcy in american history. the judge rules today that the city of detroit will be able to reorganize its billions of dollars in debt, which means pensioners and other creditors could receive much less than they are owed. and spectacular pictures from italy where europe's active volcano is erupting again. it is the 19th time the mountain has thrown longer into the sky. there were no injuries, nor any need for evacuations, but a number of flights to the nearby airport were diverted. a russian dancer has been sentenced to six years in jail

for his part in an acid attack on the artistic director of the bolshoi ballet company in moscow. he suffered severe burns and damaged eyesight as a result of the assault. james robbins has the story. >> the world's most famous ballet company. bolshoi literally means big. it employs over 200 dancers, and in good times, rings russia great precision -- great pressed each. rivalrywhen passionate turns into a salt. send to a penal colony for six years, convicted of an acid attack on the artistic director he blamed for favoring others for leading roles. the ex-convict hitman was given 10 years and the getaway driver was given four.

this was the victim, with severe active -- acid burns after an attack on a moscow street. his eyesight was so bad initially that he could not see his children properly. >> our client did not ask for any sentence for these people. he asked the court to imprison them because he cannot forget any of them. >> a convicted dancer wielding a dagger and no stranger to stage violence did admit to playing the assault, but not the use of acid. his lawyer said he will make an appeal. the damage to the boy sholom -- to the bolshoi has been profound. >> a beautiful ballet company with very ugly politics. you are watching bbc world news america. still to come, what should america's role in the world being? a new poll has the people's

answer. we will bring you the results. could we be seeing a major upheaval of one of the world's most secretive regimes? south korea's intelligence agency says the uncle of kim jong-il is reported to be dismissed. he is one of the country's powerful men's. and one of two aides have been executed for corruption. >> he has stood side-by-side with the country's ruling family for years. as vice-chairman of north korea's top military body. he is a senior political figure and the guardian of the next generation of leaders. , if true,l from power would mark a major shift inside the ruling hierarchy. he is not only an advisor to the countries current ruler, kym johnson --t -- kym

un, but he is his uncle, too. he is married to kim jong-il's sister. claims by south korea's intelligence agencies that two were executed and that he has not been seen in public since our victim -- are difficult to verify. serious riftcate a within the regime, or possibly a move away from reported economic reforms. but some also point to the long- running elements of his wife as a possible cause of his absence. ofthe long-running illness his wife as a possible cause of his absence. this one may take a long time to emerge.

is not sure of its role in the world. -- >> america is not sure of its role in the world. that is the finding of a new survey. the findings reflect a preoccupation with problems here at home. the pew research center released a study today and the bbc takes a look at what they found. >> how does the usc its place in the world? that is the question the pew research session -- the pew research center asked. here's what they found. for the first time in 40 years, a majority of americans say the u.s. plays a less important role in the u.s. international stage. but let's not assume americans want their country to get out and do more. high, saidr record

the u.s. should just mind his own business globally. when it does come to foreign policy, many of the public top goals are driven by domestic concerns. you can take that top concern and drill down a bit further. 50% of americans say the use of military drones make the u.s. safer from terrorism compared to only 31% who say the war in afghanistan has. surprise that most americans want the country to be the only military superpower. and more seat time -- see china as number one in economic straight -- in economic strength. while we are in asia, look at something else. more young americans think that region has greater importance for the europe -- for the u.s. than europe does, but not so for older americans. but in terms of america to other countries, this has not changed

much overall. the pew research study chose 12 countries and ranked them in of who viewed america favorably. even if the u.s. is wanted to mind its own business on many issues, that is not a rally cry for isolationism. 77% say it is a good thing for the u.s. to have more involvement in the global economy. >> for more on the fascinating findings come i spoke a short time ago with former state department official risk -- richard half. -- the study suggests that for the first time americans think that the u.s. is getting less important globally, but it seems they do not really mind. >> what it says is that americans are much more preoccupied with what is going on at home. it is one of the many signs of a slow economy, and also a considerable degree of intervention fatigue after a

rack, after afghanistan. there has not been anything like a peace dividend. there has been some disillusionment. maybe also some understanding about the limits, as strong as the u.s. is, about the limits of what we can accomplish in the world. agree with the report that this is not exec we isolationism, but a reassessment? >> i think that is fair -- not exactly isolationism, but a reassessment? >> i think that is fair. bit of wariness about spreading democracy and human rights, the sort of stuff that has dominated u.s. foreign policy in the middle east in particular. veryo me something that is interesting and somewhat heartening if they have not given up on the world economically. are some elements that you might call protectionist, by and large, this report is anti- protectionist. >> it seems that americans like the idea of foreign companies coming here to set up business, but they don't much like the

idea of american companies going abroad to set up business. why? ofthey favor the idea creating jobs here and they're worried about american companies setting up shop overseas because of the exporting of jobs. they like international investment committee's way and they also like u.s. produced goods and services being exported elsewhere. >> do you see a global footprint, america incorporated around the world? i think this is being seen through the prism of a much slower economy and lower levels of employment. >> most americans still think europeans matter. >> somewhat. >> in younger americans not as much. >> in many ways, this report is exactly what i thought it would be. older americans ethnically in many cases have more links to europe. america is becoming less european. we become more hispanic, more asian.

and the memories of world war ii and its aftermath are increasingly what grandpa did or your great-grandfather. direction of the world seems to be more to asia and more to the middle east. this is not a criticism, but an observation. the era in which europe dominated foreign-policy and the atlantic alliance was so central, this era is coming to an end. >> what does the report say about the curious concept around the world of american exceptionalism? have you seen a change in their -- a change there? >> americans have not and will never give up on american exceptionalism. but the report does sense that something is wrong here, that we are not just doing as well as we could or short or have done historically. that is why you're seeing a surprising number of americans saying we have got to get it right at home. >> thank you very much. the dual legacies of the war in iraq and the crash of 2008 on

american attitudes there on foreign policy. when you think of a typical computer programmer, i'm willing to bet what you think of as a man. let's be honest, there are not a lot of women writing computer code. our next stories about a woman who is determined to change that. she began coding in 2008 after losing her job in america during the economic crisis. now she is helping other women break into the tech industry. bbc has the story. in 2008, i was working in tech in new york and the entire economy just exploded. i was working at a company where they laid off most of the workforce, myself included. i remember looking around the room and realizing that none of the technical people in the were getting laid off. the next day i went to the park during the day. the day after that [indiscernible]

i've been helping a lot of women learn how to code. i have been the only girl on a couple of occasions, as well as the only female designer. the technology world is definitely very man based. tiny part of me that says, you know, there aren't any winning. who am i to think that i could be that first one? >> i know that sometimes i will make an assumption that, oh, she's a woman. it is very old-school as far as coding goes, right? even though you do not want to have that. after some brief interaction and it comes to shape becomes obvious that she knows her stuff, all that is gone. some brief interaction and it becomes obvious that she knows her stuff, all that is gone.

women,e are very few very few hispanic people. they're just younger. it is an industry that is just literally eating every other industry. it is laying the groundwork for how humanity is going to communicate. women do not necessarily identify themselves as being in technology or as programmers. i can say do not necessarily understand what the class is about. there is a fundamental misunderstanding about what the new programmer is about. is more likeamming writing and art. it is about expression and organization. i think that is something that women would be great at, and are great at. with -- working in a man's world is empowering, to be the only girl in the room.

>> when you're coding and you are taking very difficult time putting them together, it is like, it is broken and then it comes together. it is a glorious moment. it is a fun, exciting experience. >> she is right. we need more women in tech. you can see more stories about how tech converges with cultural on the bbc website at bbc.com/ living line. speaker john boehner flipped the switch to illuminate the 80 -- the 88 foot tall spruce. it is the tallest tree in the history of the event. it is a tradition that began in 1964 and was -- has now become an annual one. i'm not sure i will be putting up a christmas tree quite that tall in my living room.

that should bring the program to a close. onwill have constant updates our 24-hour news channel. i'm katty kay. thanks so much for watching. >> make sense of international news at bbc.com/news. >> funding of this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation, newman's own foundation, giving all profits to charity and pursuing the common good for over 30 years, and union bank.

>> at union bank, our relationship managers work hard to understand the industry you operate in, working to nurture new ventures and help provide capital for key strategic decisions. we offer expertise and tailored solutions in a wide range of industries. what can we do for you? >> "bbc world news america" was presented by kcet, los angeles.

(george chattering excitedly) this program was made possible by: have over 90 years of first steps behind them. what he does know is that, today, he's started walking, and life got a whole lot more exciting. stride rite is a proud sponsor of "curious george." can fuel a lifetime of learning. abcmouse.com early learning academy, proud sponsor of pbs kids and curious george. funding for curious george is provided by contributions to your pbs station... ooh. ...and from: (lively drum intro) ♪ you never do know what's around the bend ♪ ♪ big adventure or a brand-new friend ♪ ♪ when you're curious like curious george ♪

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getting a drink of water? uh-huh. ah! ...and odd things, even odder. well, i'm training in gravity boots. tomorrow's the big day. i'm scheduled to take my first rocket ride. again. uh, george, it's okay to look, just don't touch anything. (crash) (groans) well, it's good to train for falling down, too... i guess. (giggling) wiseman: good morning, boys. ooh... you remember professor einstein and professor pizza. so, are you ready to become the first normal guy to walk in space? no one on earth is more ready or more normal. just ask my monkey. (chattering) uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh. well, you know your mission: